Department for Transport

East Coast Railway Line

lord adonis: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the extent to which delays by Network Rail undertaking infrastructure improvements on the East Coast Main Line were a legitimate basis for the existing East Coast franchise operator to seek to reduce premium payments contracted under that franchise; and by what amount that franchise will be reduced in each year until 2023.

baroness sugg: The East Coast franchise was awarded to Virgin Trains East Coast following a fair and open competition and has already delivered significant passenger benefits. The Operator has met its obligations to date to provide premium payments to HM Government as contracted. The contract includes an enhanced East Coast timetable from May 2020 - reflecting the anticipated Network Rail enhancements to the line - and a process for revising premium payments from that date if the Operator, despite its best efforts, is unsuccessful in obtaining all the rights it needs. The exact adjustments to the premium depend on the extent of the enhanced services which the Operator is able to run from May 2020. From 2020 we intend to let the East Coast Partnership as one of the first of a new generation of integrated regional rail operations. This will be subject to a competitive process, and will include appropriate contributions paid from the private partner to the government. It is therefore not possible to specify what amount the current East Coast franchise will be reduced in each year until 2023, as it will be superseded by the East Coast Partnership.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Green Investment Bank: Privatisation

lord barker of battle: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the outcome of the sale of the Green Investment Bank; and what arrangements are in place to ensure that the Bank’s Articles of Association are adhered to.

lord henley: A description of how the Government has met its objectives was issued in its “Report to Parliament on the disposal of the Crown’s shares in the UK Green Investment Bank” which can be found attached. This also described the Special Share arrangements put in place to protect the bank’s green objectives.



Report to Parliament on the disposal of the Crown’
(PDF Document, 591.99 KB)

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Brexit

baroness wheatcroft: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether (1) the number, and (2) the cost, of (a) those directly employed by, and (b) those hired as consultants by, the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy to work on matters related to Brexit, has increased since the Brexit referendum; and if so, by how much.

lord henley: In common with other government departments, the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy is undertaking necessary preparatory work to make sure the department can continue to prepare effectively for EU exit. The Department has received £35.1m for 2017/18 from HMT which covers inter alia the staffing costs of 350 additional civil servants. The Government will continue to ensure there is an appropriate level of resource to deliver its EU exit work.

Social Services: Minimum Wage

baroness mcdonagh: To ask Her Majesty's Government when Ministers were notified that social care workers had been paid below the minimum wage for statutory sleeping-in care; when that information was passed on to Government agencies, including the NHS and local authorities; why social care providers were not notified earlier; and what steps they are taking to ensure such underpayments couldnot happen again.

baroness mcdonagh: To ask Her Majesty's Government what advice they (1) received from HMRC, and (2)gave to local authorities, on sleeping-in payments over the lastten years.

baroness mcdonagh: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment has been made of the impact on charities and other voluntary organisations providing social care of new advice onthe statutory provision of sleeping-in payments.

lord henley: All businesses – irrespective of their size or business sector – are responsible for paying the correct minimum wage to their staff.It is not uncommon for employment law to be clarified in the courts and tribunals. Employment Tribunal judgments have, over time, clarified the position on what constitutes “work” in connection with sleeping time and therefore when the NMW is payable for sleep-in shifts. Government guidance issued in February 2015 included clarification from those judgments. Ministers from BEIS and the Department of Health most recently wrote to Local Authorities on 27 October 2017 regarding payment of NMW or NLW for sleep-in shifts to ensure clarity on those rules.The Government recognises that the cumulative financial liability of penalties and arrears of wages associated with “sleep in” shifts could pose challenges to some providers in the social care sector. It is exploring options to minimise any impact on the sector and has opened discussions with the European Commission. It also introduced the interim Social Care Compliance Scheme (SCCS) on 1 November, which gives providers in the sector 12 months in which to conduct a self-review of any arrears and then up to three months in which to re-pay workers.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Armed Conflict: Schools

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to (1) endorse, and (2) commit to implement, the Safe Schools Declaration; and in particular, what steps they intend to take to reduce the use of educational facilities for military purposes and spare them from attack where feasible.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The internal Foreign and Commonwealth Office review into our position towards the Safe Schools Declaration recently concluded. The Government is considering its implications and assessing next steps.

Egypt: Religious Freedom

lord green of deddington: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to encourage the promotion and upholding of freedom of religion or belief for all in Egypt, with particular reference to recent changes to laws concerning church buildings in that country.

lord green of deddington: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of recent attacks on church buildings in Egypt and the impact of those attacks on freedom of religion or belief in that country.

lord green of deddington: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will make representations to the government of Egypt on the risk that reconciliation following religiously motivated violencemay become a means of avoiding justice.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: We condemn all discrimination against religious minorities and constraints on their freedom to practise their faith. The Egyptian constitution contains protections for Freedom of Religious Belief and it is important that these rights are respected.We regularly raise our concerns around the rights to freedom of expression, association and assembly, which are essential to improving the protection of Freedom of Religious Belief in Egypt.In particular, we welcome President Sisi’s consistent calls for peaceful coexistence between Christians and Muslims in Egypt. The UK supports continued dialogue between the Church and State, including on the topic of the Church Building Law. We urge the Egyptian authorities to implement the law in a way that enables Christians to exercise their freedom to worship.Attacks by Daesh against the Coptic Christian community in Egypt are deplorable. The UK is committed to supporting the Egyptian Government’s fight against terrorist groups, including those who seek to target minority groups such as Coptic Christians. All victims of terrorism in Egypt deserve the recourse to justice afforded to them by the Egyptian constitution.

Syria: Sanctions

lord hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what was their response at the time to the appeal made on 23 August 2016 to lift international sanctions against Syria by three Christian Patriarchs residing in Damascus; and whether they intend to give the matter renewed consideration.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The Government is aware of the appeal made on 23 August 2016 by the Christian Patriarchs to lift international sanctions against Syria. We continue to believe that sanctions we support against Syria are justified. Sanctions have been imposed to constrain the Assad regime's ability to wage war against the Syrian people, and to help bring about a long-term political solution. While it is impossible to avoid impacting the Syrian civilian population, the EU has created a number of mechanisms to allow for humanitarian aid to continue. As the second largest bilateral donor to the humanitarian response in Syria since 2011, the UK is at the forefront of the response to the humanitarian crisis caused by the conflict. All EU sanctions against the Assad regime are annually reviewed and agreed by each of the 28 EU Member States.

Syria: Peace Negotiations

lord hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the Democratic Federation of Northern Syria is included in the Geneva Peace Negotiations; and if not, why not.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: Invitations to participate in the Geneva talks are a matter for the UN Special Envoy. The so-called Democratic Federation of Northern Syria has not participated in the UN-mediated peace talks in Geneva. It is not referred to in UN Security Council Resolution 2254 which sets the framework for these talks. However, Kurdish groups have been represented in Geneva through the Kurdish National Council, as part of the opposition High Negotiations Committee and in the latest round as part of the refreshed Syria Negotiations Commission. Furthermore the UN Special Envoy has involved Kurdish and other minority groups in civil society discussions alongside formal talks in Geneva.

Middle East and North Africa: Radicalism

lord hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report by the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, Building Young People’s Resilience to Violent Extremism in the Middle East and North Africa, published on 15 November; what action they have taken in the past two years to support the building of such resilience; how much, if any, they have spent in each of those years on that action; and who were the recipients of any such funding.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The British Council All Party Parliamentary Group report on Building Young People's Resilience to Violent Extremism in the Middle East and North Africa was released on 12 December. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has contributed to the report, with the then Minister for the Middle East and Africa (Mr Ellwood) providing verbal evidence to the Group earlier this year. I would refer the noble Lord to the report of my Hon. Friend's evidence session for further details. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office will be reviewing the recommendations carefully.The Government's commitment to the wider international conflict and security agenda (including countering violent extremism) is underpinned through programmes, including through the Conflict, Stability and Security Fund (CSSF), which provides a wide range of targeted support to countries, many of which are in the Middle East and North Africa regionSummaries of CSSF programmes are publicly available.

Gaza: Egypt

lord hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to make representations to (1) the government of Egypt, and (2) the Palestinian National Authority, about re-opening the Rafah crossing permanently.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: ​Officials from our Embassy in Cairo last discussed the Rafah crossing with the Egyptian government in November 2017. We continue to urge Egypt to show maximum flexibility in opening the Rafah crossing. We encourage the Palestinian Authority (PA) to fully resume its government functions in Gaza, and ensure that the reconciliation process is compliant with the Quartet Principles. Officials from our Consulate-General in Jerusalem frequently urge the PA to take steps to improve humanitarian conditions in Gaza.

Turkey: Kurds

lord hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they plan to call in the Turkish Ambassador following the recent statement by President Erdogan about clearing Afrin Canton, in Syria, of militias.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: We have no such plans to summon the Turkish ambassador.

West Africa: Boko Haram

lord greaves: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the (1) strength of, (2) organisation of, (3) activities of, (4) external links of, and (5) threats posed by Boko Haram in West Africa.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: We welcome the successes achieved by the Nigerian armed forces against Boko Haram, pushing the group out of key towns in North East Nigeria. However, Boko Haram continues to present a serious threat to security in North East Nigeria and the wider region. We estimate that over 20,000 people have been killed by Boko Haram, over 2.4 million people displaced and over 17 million affected by the Boko Haram insurgency across the Lake Chad basin. In March 2015 Boko Haram pledged allegiance to Daesh, since then there has been a split between factions within Boko Haram.

Philippines: Drugs

lord hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the government of the Philippines about (1) investigations into the death of Kian delos Santos, (2) the circumstances of the deaths of 3,900 "drug personalities", and (3) the deaths of 2,000 others for drug-related crimes.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The Government regularly urges the Philippine government to ensure all deaths associated with the war on illegal drugs are investigated. Most recently, on 4 December, the Minister of State for Asia and the Pacific raised this with Under Secretary Manalo of the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs, as did officials through the UK-Philippine High Level Talks the same day.

South Korea: British Nationals Abroad

lord lee of trafford: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their estimate of the number of UK nationals resident in South Korea.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: We do not require British nationals to register their presence with our Embassy in South Korea and therefore do not hold statistics on the number of UK nationals resident in South Korea. However, the Republic of Korea Immigration Service offers estimates every month. Their latest figures from 31 October estimated that the number of UK nationals resident in South Korea was 7,111.

Trade: Sanctions

lord barker of battle: To ask Her Majesty's Government which countries were subject to trade sanctions in (1) 2015, (2) 2016, and (3) 2017.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The UK implements a wide variety of UN, EU and OSCE sanctions regimes, of which many contain arms embargoes and other trade restrictions.In 2015, the countries subject to such trade restrictions were: Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Burma, China, Central African Republic, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Democratic Republic of Congo, Eritrea, Iran, Iraq, the Cote d’Ivoire, Lebanon, Liberia, Libya, Russia, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Ukraine (Crimea), Yemen, Zimbabwe. Trade restrictions were also in place against certain terrorist organisations.In 2016, UN sanctions regimes relating to the Cote d’Ivoire and Liberia were lifted including all trade restrictions. In 2017, the EU introduced a sanctions regime including trade restrictions against Venezuela. The other sanctions regimes outlined above remained in place.Further information is on the Department for International Trade pages on gov.uk.

Democratic Republic of Congo: Elections

the marquess of lothian: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with other Western and African countries to persuade President Kabila to hold presidential elections in the Democratic Republic of the Congo before 2019.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: Her Majesty's Government is in regular contact with a wide range of Western and African countries concerning the situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).The UK supported the United Nations Security Council Press Statement on the Electoral Process in DRC, which was issued on 28 November. On Wednesday 6 December, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office hosted a meeting of Great Lakes Special Envoys from Europe and the US to discuss the DRC's recently published electoral timetable. This will also be discussed at the EU Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels on Monday 11 December.

UN Forum on Business and Human Rights

baroness coussins: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they were represented at the 6th United Nations Forum on Business and Human Rights, held in Geneva in November; and if so, by whom.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: Her Majesty’s Government was represented at the 6th United Nations Forum on Business and Human Rights in Geneva on 27-29 November by officials from the Foreign & Commonwealth Office and the Department for International Trade.

Department for International Development

Somalia: Overseas Aid

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have identified anyof the local leaders given support through the Department for International Development's Somalia programmes as having strong links to Al Shabab; and if so, how many, and which, leaders.

lord bates: No such leaders have been identified.

Somalia: Overseas Aid

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much has been provided to Adam Smith International for the delivery of (1) the Department for International Development's, and (2) theConflict, Stability and Security Fund's, Somalia programmes in each of the past five years.

lord bates: The attached table shows the total contract value. The total value of contracts for (1) the Department for International Development's Somalia programmes was £53,770,103, and the total provided for (2) the Conflict, Stability and Security Fund's Somalia programmes was £21,947,945 (Grand Total = £75,718,048).Fees typically make up around 20-30% of the total contract value, depending on the nature of each project. 



Table of Contract Values
(Word Document, 18.1 KB)

Syria: Reconstruction

lord greaves: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the costs of the damage to (1) Aleppo, (2) Raqqa, and (3) other towns and villages in northern Syria, following recent fighting; which bodies have responsibility for the reconstruction of those areas; and what discussions they have held, or plan to hold, with other governments and agencies on these matters.

lord bates: While the conflict is ongoing, our priority is to deliver life-saving humanitarian aid to those affected. The UK will only provide support for reconstruction once a credible, genuine and inclusive political transition is firmly underway. It is not possible at present to assess accurately the costs of reconstruction.

Department for Education

Home Education

baroness morgan of huyton: To ask Her Majesty's Government to whom schools report if a pupil is taken off-roll to be home-schooled.

lord agnew of oulton: Parents have a duty to ensure that their children of compulsory school age are receiving suitable full-time education. Some parents may elect to educate their children at home and may withdraw them from school at any time, unless they are subject to a school attendance order. Where a parent notifies the school, in writing, that they are home educating, the school must delete the child’s name from the admission register and inform the local council. Schools must notify the local council when a pupil’s name is to be removed from the admission register, at a non-standard transition point, as soon as the grounds for removal is met and no later than the time at which the pupil’s name is removed from the register. If parents orally indicate that they intend to withdraw their child to be home educated, the school should consider notifying the local council at the earliest opportunity.

Universities: Counter-terrorism

baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they intend to take to ensure that free speech is maintained in university settings following guidance issued to universities by theHigher Education Funding Council for England under their Prevent counter-extremism strategy.

viscount younger of leckie: Universities and certain other higher education providers are required by the Education (No.2) Act 1986, to take reasonable steps to secure freedom of speech within the law for staff, students and visiting speakers. The Counter-Terrorism and Security Act 2015, specifically requires providers that are subject to the statutory freedom of speech duty, to have particular regard to that duty when carrying out their responsibilities under Prevent. The Higher Education Funding Council for England monitors the implementation of the Prevent duty in relevant higher education bodies and issues relevant guidance. The Higher Education and Research Act extends the freedom of speech duty to all higher education providers registered with the Office for Students (OfS). The current OfS consultation is seeking views on proposals around institutions’ freedom of speech responsibilities.

Students: Finance

baroness wolf of dulwich: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by the Minister of State for Universities and Science on 30 June 2015 (HC3640), when they expect to publish the 2014–15 Student Income and Expenditure Survey; and why there has been a delay in publication.

viscount younger of leckie: The Student Income and Expenditure Survey is a very large dataset which must undergo significant quality checks prior to final reporting. It is expected that the report will be published when the process is concluded.

Ministry of Defence

Saudi Arabia: Cluster Munitions

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byEarl Howe on 30 November (HL3469), whether, in their recent dialogue with the government of Saudi Arabia, that government has offered to destroyRoyal Saudi Air Force stocks of UK-made BL-755 weaponry; and if so, when that offer was made.

earl howe: Saudi Arabia has made a commitment that it will no longer use BL-755 cluster munitions. It would be inappropriate to comment on the detail of private discussions between Governments. But the UK continues to encourage Saudi Arabia, as well as other non-parties, to accede to the Convention on Cluster Munitions.

Defence: Procurement

lord lee of trafford: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the reply byEarl Howe on 5 December, what percentage of defence capital spending on procurement from overseas is currency hedged.

earl howe: The Department uses forward purchase contracts for US Dollars and Euros to provide a degree of stability for budgetary planning over the medium-term. The forward purchase programme is structured to provide an increasing level of cover in the three years before the requirement. The Department purchased in advance 89 per cent and 99 per cent of expenditure in US Dollars and Euros respectively in financial year 2016-17 and has secured prices for approximately 90 per cent of forecast demand in financial year 2017-18. Given this is a rolling programme, we have already placed contracts for 70 per cent of expected demand in 2018-19 and a smaller proportion in the following years. The consequences of sustained adjustments to exchange rates are dealt with as part of the Department's routine financial management by allocating appropriate levels of contingency, including in the Equipment Plan.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Sky Lanterns

baroness masham of ilton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they treat sky lanterns as a form of litter; if not, why not; and whether they have any plans to ban (1) the use, and (2) the mass release of, sky lanterns.

lord gardiner of kimble: The Environmental Protection Act 1990 Act does not provide a comprehensive definition of litter or refuse, although the courts have considered the definition to be wide. Litter is most commonly assumed to include materials, often associated with smoking, eating and drinking, that are improperly discarded and left by members of the public; or are spilt during business operations as well as waste management operations. Section 87 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 says: “A person is guilty of an offence if he throws down, drops or otherwise deposits any litter in any place to which this section applies and leaves it”. Ultimately it is for a court to rule whether a release of sky lanterns would be covered. An independent study commissioned by Defra and the Welsh Government published in 2013 concluded that the risks to animals or damage to the environment by sky lanterns were relatively minor and that voluntary action and initiatives have been shown to be effective. Based on these findings, we currently have no plans to ban the use of sky lanterns.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Brexit

baroness wheatcroft: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether (1) the number, and (2) the cost, of (a) those directly employed by, and (b) those hired as consultants by, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to work on matters related to Brexit, has increased since the Brexit referendum; and if so, by how much.

lord gardiner of kimble: Over 80% of Defra’s agenda is affected by the UK leaving the European Union and, as a result, many roles across the Defra group are now supporting related work, either directly or indirectly. Therefore, it is difficult to put an exact figure on the cost of work to prepare for exiting the EU. Discussions are continuing with HMT to secure additional funding and the amounts will be confirmed in the Supplementary Estimate when laid before Parliament. As of 30th November Defra has recruited around 800 additional staff (including fixed term appointments and interims) to support our comprehensive programme of work for the UK’s departure from the EU, of whom around 650 have already taken up post with the remainder progressing through our pre-appointment processes. We continue to keep our resourcing plans under review, focusing both on recruitment and increasing the capability of new and existing staff.

Department for Communities and Local Government

Nuclear Power Stations: Planning Permission

lord greaves: To ask Her Majesty's Government what will be the process for obtaining planning permission for a small modular reactor nuclear power station.

lord bourne of aberystwyth: Section 15 of the Planning Act 2008 requires that any proposed nuclear power generating station with a capacity of more than 50 megawatts in England and Wales would need to seek development consent from the Secretary of State through the nationally significant infrastructure planning regime. For projects that do not meet that threshold, planning permission would need to be sought under relevant town and country planning legislation. Section 39 of the Wales Act 2017, when fully in force, will (subject to transitional provisions) devolve to Wales the responsibility for planning development consents for nuclear power generating station projects up to and including 350 megawatts. Proposals for such generating stations in Wales over 350 megawatts will still continue to be determined by the Secretary of State.

Electric Vehicles

baroness redfern: To ask Her Majesty's Government what guidance they have given local authorities regarding the percentage of parking spaces in new developments which should be required to have charging points for electric vehicles.

lord bourne of aberystwyth: The National Planning Policy Framework states that developments should, where practical, incorporate facilities for charging plug-in and other ultra-low emission vehicles. The level of parking provision in new developments is a decision for local planning authorities to make. Local Planning authorities should use the Framework, supporting planning guidance and local uptake of vehicles when making these decisions. As use of this technology grows, there are permitted development rights available for the installation of wall mounted and free-standing electric vehicle charging points in off-street parking areas.

HM Treasury

NHS: VAT

lord hunt of kings heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they are planning to extend the VAT exemption enjoyed by local authorities to the NHS; and if so, how and when.

lord bates: Local authorities are not exempt from VAT, but are entitled to VAT refunds for non-business activities under the Section 33 VAT refund scheme. Government departments and the NHS are entitled to VAT refunds for certain contracted out services under the Section 41 VAT refund scheme.

Help to Buy Scheme: Taxation

lord myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to consider introducing a windfall tax on profits resulting from their Help to Buy Scheme.

lord bates: The government has announced that the Help to Buy equity loan scheme will continue until March 2021 with an additional £10 billion of funding available. Help to Buy equity loan is intended to help people who otherwise would not be able to afford a deposit to buy a home. It is restricted to new-build properties to ensure that it also helps to drive up the number of homes being built. The programme has played an important role in supporting the housing market since 2013 and the number of homes being built has reached its highest level since 2008. All UK housebuilders will be liable to tax on their profits in the same way as other firms.

Customs Officers

lord campbell-savours: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their estimate of the number of additional customs officers who will be required after March 2019.

lord bates: Additional customs officials required by HMRC and Border Force across the UK following exit from the European Union will depend on the final outcome of the negotiations. HMRC are considering the capacity requirements for future customs arrangements as part of their EU exit planning. This will be kept under review as negotiations progress.

Northern Ireland Office

Brexit: Northern Ireland

lord hay of ballyore: To ask Her Majesty's Government what recent discussions they have had with political parties in Northern Ireland about the UK leaving the EU.

lord duncan of springbank: UK Government Ministers and officials have held a number of meetings with Northern Ireland’s political parties about Brexit. We also remain committed to restoring the Northern Ireland Executive which will enable direct Ministerial engagement on matters relating to the UK’s departure from the EU. Until that happens, Ministers at the Northern Ireland Office will continue to advocate for Northern Ireland’s interests and needs at the heart of Government.

Department of Health

Mental Health Services: Homelessness

lord bird: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of, and what plans they have to improve, mental health services for those whoare homeless or rough-sleeping.

lord o'shaughnessy: The Department for Communities and Local Government is working closely with the Department of Health on how we improve access to mental health services for rough sleepers, or those at risk of homelessness in England. The Government has committed over £1 billion until 2020 to local authorities to reduce homelessness and rough sleeping and has supported the Homelessness Reduction Act – due to commence in April 2018. The Act will ensure that people who are in need of assistance get the support they need before becoming homeless. The Government is also supporting 84 projects, some specifically funding mental health interventions, across 205 district and unitary local authorities in England through its £50 million Homelessness Prevention Programme offering tailored support services for people who need it and rapid support for people to make a sustainable recovery from homelessness. The Government has also set an aim to halve rough sleeping by 2022 and eliminate it entirely by 2027. We are setting up a rough sleeping and homelessness taskforce and piloting a Housing First approach to tackle rough sleeping. We expect local authorities, NHS England and clinical commissioning groups to all play a crucial role in achieving this. NHS England has published guidance, People Who Are Homeless: How to register with a doctor (GP), for general practices and patients to ensure that homeless patients are still able to access primary care services. A copy is attached. Public Health England’s online only guidance Improving health through the home provides a single point of access to wide-ranging authoritative information on data, evaluation, evidence and research related to homelessness to support providers and commissioners, such as good practice prompts for commissioning for homeless people with drug or alcohol problems.



How to Register with a doctor (GP)
(PDF Document, 758.01 KB)

NHS: Pensions

lord hunt of kings heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their estimate of the number of former staff of NHS Trusts and Foundation Trusts who moved to employment with a wholly owned subsidiary of those Trusts who have opted to come out of the NHS Pension Scheme in return for higher wages.

lord o'shaughnessy: Any compulsorily transferred staff would have their pay, terms and conditions protected under Transfer of Undertakings Protection of Employment legislation and have continued access to the NHS Pension Scheme under the Government’s New Fair Deal guidance.

NHS: Pensions

lord hunt of kings heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government what independent advice was made available to staff of NHS Trusts and Foundation Trusts who, in moving to employment by a wholly owned subsidiary of that Trust, opted to come out of the NHS Pension Scheme.

lord o'shaughnessy: Making available independent advice would be a matter for their employer to consider. Any staff considering changes to their pay and pensions arrangements should be encouraged by their employer to take independent advice from an approved provider. The NHS Business Services Authority which administers the NHS Pension Scheme provides a range of information about the NHS Pension Scheme which could be used to help inform any independent advice.

NHS: Pensions

lord hunt of kings heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many NHS employees in England were paying into the NHS Pension Scheme in each year since 2010.

lord o'shaughnessy: A table showing the number of National Health Service employees in England and Wales paying into the NHS Pension Scheme in each year since 2010 is attached due to the size of the data.



HL3827 NHS Pension Scheme table
(Word Document, 23.57 KB)

Care Homes: Fees and Charges

lord laming: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the finding by the Competition and Markets Authority that elderly people in care homes who pay their own fees are subsidising those whose places are paid for by councils by up to £12,000 a year; and whether they intend to take any action to prevent such cross-subsidisation.

lord o'shaughnessy: The Care Act 2014 placed a duty on local authorities in England to shape their local markets to ensure that they are sustainable, diverse and offer high quality care and support for people in their local area. Prices and fee rates paid by commissioners to provider organisations must reflect these new duties. The Department published the online only Care and Support statutory guidance setting out how councils should meet these new duties when commissioning, including the consideration of the actual costs of care and support when negotiating fee levels. The level of fees charged to a self-funder is a private contractual arrangement. The Competition and Market Authority’s (CMA) market study into care homes, published on 30 November 2017, raises some complex and important issues for the care home market. Government will publish a formal response to the CMA report within 90 days and will take forward these complex issues as part of the Green Paper on adult social care which will be published in summer 2018.

Patients: Death

lord bradley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what training is available for clinical reviewers for structured judgment reviews within NHS Trusts.

lord o'shaughnessy: NHS Improvement, through the Healthcare Quality Improvement Partnership, has commissioned the Royal College of Physicians to lead a programme of work to provide training in Structured Judgement Review (SJR) to staff in National Health Service trusts and NHS foundation trusts. The programme is supporting the Government’s published policy framework on learning from deaths. It uses a ‘train the trainer’ model so that those individuals sufficiently competent in SJR can provide further training to colleagues in their own organisations and elsewhere. Around 300 trainers have been trained so far via sessions delivered throughout England, with at least four further training sessions to be delivered by February 2018.

NHS: Subsidiary Companies

lord hunt of kings heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of NHS Foundation Trustsselling off, in whole or in part, to the private sector, wholly owned subsidiaries providing services directly to those Trusts.

lord o'shaughnessy: No such assessment has been made and no such sales have been brought to the attention of the Department. National Health Service organisations have a duty to operate efficiently and economically and are responsible for putting in place the most effective structures they need to deliver services to their patients within available resources.

Health Professions: Recruitment

lord turnberg: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have for the recruitment of nurses and midwives in the next three years.

lord o'shaughnessy: To meet the growing need to increase the future supply of registered nurses, additional clinical placement funding was announced by the Department in August and October 2017. This enables around 5,000 more nursing students to enter training each year to 2020-21, representing a 25% increase compared to 2016-17.